Structural Welding Code—Sheet Steel

1 ScopeThis Welding code covers arc Welding of structuralsheet/strip steels, including cold formed members (here-after collectively referred to as sheet Steel ) which areequal to or less than 3/16 in. ( mm) in nomi-nal thickness. See Annex D, Tables D1 and D2 for gagenumbers and equivalent weld types unique to sheet Steel , arc spot, arcseam, and arc plug welds, are included in this Materials. This code is applicable tothe Welding of Structural sheet steels to other structuralsheet steels or to supporting Structural Steel General Stipulations.

2 The fundamental premise ofthe code is to provide general stipulations applicable toany situation. Acceptance criteria for production weldsdifferent from those specified in the code shall be permit-ted for a particular application, provided they are suit-ably documented by the proposer and approved by theEngineer. These alternate acceptance criteria shall bebased upon evaluation of suitability for service usingpast experience, experimental evidence, or engineeringanalysis considering material type, service load effects,and environmental Approval.

3 All references to the need for approvalshall be interpreted to mean approval by the Engineer,defined as the duly designated person who acts for and inbehalf of the owner on all matters within the scope of thiscode. Deviations from code requirements shall requirethe Engineer s Sheet Steel Base Specified Base Metals. Sheet Steel base metals tobe welded under this code shall conform to the require-ments of the latest edition of one of the specificationslisted below, or any sheet Steel qualified in conformancewith Any combination of these steels may bewelded together.

4 These steels may also be welded to anyof the steels listed in the latest edition of , Structural Welding Code Steel .(1) Specification for Sheet Steel , Zinc-Coated (Galva-nized) by the Hot-Dip Process. Structural Physical Qual-ity (A653 SQ Grades 33, 37, 40, and 80).(2) Specification for Hot-Rolled Steel Sheet and Quality (ASTM A570).(3) Specification for Steel Sheet and Strip, Hot-Rolledand Cold-Rolled, High Strength, Low Alloy, with Im-proved Corrosion Resistance (ASTM A606).(4) Specification for Steel Sheet and Strip, Hot-Rolledor Cold-Rolled, High Strength, Low Alloy Columbiumor Vanadium, or both (ASTM A607 Grades 45, 50, 55,60, 65, and 70).

5 (5) Specification for Steel , Cold-Rolled Sheet, CarbonStructural (ASTM A611). Other Base Metals. When a Steel other than thosecovered is approved under the provisions of theproject or product specification, and such a Steel is pro-posed for welded construction, the weldability of thesteel and the WPS for Welding it shall be established byqualification in conformance with the requirements ofsection 4 and such other requirements as prescribed bythe Minimum Yield Point. The provisions of this codeare intended for use with sheet Steel having a minimumspecified yield point equal to or less than 80 000 psi(550 MPa).

6 Welding Approved Processes. This code provides for weld-ing with the shielded metal arc Welding (SMAW), gasStructural Welding Code Sheet Steel1. General Provisions2metal arc Welding (GMAW), flux cored arc Welding (FCAW), gas tungsten arc Welding (GTAW), or sub-merged arc Welding (SAW) Welding processes. (Note:Any variation of gas metal arc Welding (GMAW), includ-ing short-circuiting transfer, is acceptable.) Stud Welding . When stud Welding through the flatportion of decking or roofing onto supporting structuralmembers, the WPS shall conform to section 7 of thiscode and section 7 of ANSI/AWS Other Processes.

7 Other Welding processes may beused when approved by the Engineer. In such case, theEngineer shall specify any additional qualification re-quirements necessary to assure satisfactory joints for theintended Weld Metal Matching Filler Metals. When using the indicatedweld process, the filler metals listed in Table providea weld joint with strengths matching that of the Base Metal Filler Metal metal filler metal combinations other than thosedescribed in shall be permitted when evaluated andapproved by the Engineer. When base metals of dissimi-lar strengths are welded, the filler metal tensile strengthshall be equal to or greater than that of the lowest tensilestrength base Manufacturer s Certification.

8 When requested bythe Engineer, the contractor shall furnish an electrodemanufacturer s certification stating that the electrodewill meet the requirements of the Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) AWS Specification. Electrodes for SMAW shall conform to the requirements of the latest edition ofANSI/AWS , Specification for Carbon Steel Elec-trodes for Shielded Metal Arc Welding , or to the require-ments of ANSI/AWS , Specification for Low-AlloySteel Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Low-Hydrogen Electrode Control. This con-trol shall be for sheet Steel that is welded to a primarystructural member which is thicker than 1/4 in.

9 ( mm).All electrodes having low-hydrogen coverings conform-ing to ANSI/AWS shall be purchased in hermeti-cally-sealed containers or shall be dried for at least twohours between 500 F (260 C) and 800 F (425 C) beforethey are used. Electrodes having low-hydrogen cover-ings conforming to ANSI/AWS shall be purchasedin hermetically-sealed containers or shall be dried at leastone hour at temperatures between 700 F (370 C) and800 F (430 C) before being used. Electrodes shall bedried prior to use if the hermetically-sealed containershows evidence of after the opening of the hermetically-sealed container or removal of the electrode from a dry-ing oven, electrodes shall either be used or stored inovens held at a temperature of at least 250 F (120 C).

10 E70XX and E70XX-X electrodes that are not usedwithin four hours or E80XX-X electrodes that are notused within two hours after the opening of the hermeti-cally-sealed container or the removal of the electrodesfrom a drying or storage oven shall be redried before that have been wet shall not be Melting Rate. A good measure of weldingcurrent can be provided by the melting rate (M) of application of this method is described in detail inthe Commentary, Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) AWS Specification. The bare electrodes andfluxes used in combination for SAW shall conform to therequirements of the latest edition of ANSI/AWS ,Specification for Carbon Steel Electrodes and Fluxes forSubmerged Arc Welding , or to the requirements of thelatest edition of ANSI/AWS , Specification forLow Alloy Steel Electrodes and Fluxes for SubmergedArc Flux.